(Zaman al-Wasl) Security and military cards are no longer monopolized by the security forces and thugs in Syria, but are now a product sold and bought between high ranking security officers, the National Defense, and Popular Committees militias, between Syria’s wealthy and even between some youths and young women.
Many wealthy Syrians living in regime controlled cities such as Damascus, Homs, and Hama have resorted to buying security passes or what are known as security cards issued by the regime security apparatus which serve to protect the holder from the regime forces and security personal, and allow the holder to behave as they wish with the sponsorship and protection of the card issuing institution.
Seif al-Din, a media activist in Hama, clarified that many young men now carry the card that is used as a certificate of supporting mandatory service, as the holder is not required to join the army given his is one of the volunteer security personal in his ranks. Holders are also excused from serving in the reserve forces because he is a volunteer with the regime security apparatus.
Holders are allowed to carry arms, use military designated traffic lanes, only the issuing institution are able to harass the card holder, civilians are not allowed to harass or insult the holder, and holders are given the authority to use cars without number plates.
Seif al-Din adds that some of the cards holders must be volunteers with the military, air force, state security intelligence or on the battle fronts, and these are the cheapest cards as their prices reach 50 thousand Syrian Pounds (SP).
Another card’s price varies between 150 thousand and 300 thousand SP as this card gives its holder the right to carry arms and written on it is, “the holder of this card is granted the weapon numbered, to support and help when requested and to facilitate the concerns of this card holder.”
Karim al-Yasin an activist concerned with these issues says there are cards of a high status and great importance, such as the cards to facilitate affairs and which are given by the regime Minister of Defense personally and with his signature. The price of these reaches half a million SP and are valid for one year.
There are blue colored national security cards that outrank the previously mentioned card, as the holder is deeply connected to the regime security apparatus, and the holder has all privileges without anyone holding him back or holding him accountable except the national security authorities in Damascus.
The Expensive Cards
Hezbollah militia has its own cards which are called ‘The Syrian Islamic Resistance,’ and the Lebanese Hezbollah gives these cards to Syrian volunteers in its ranks. These cards are of high value, and their price reaches more than half a million SP, and it is signed al-Hajj which is the rank of the platoon commander of one of the Hezbollah platoons fighting in Syria. The card grants the holder open privileges and none of the security apparatuses have the right to question or stop its holder.
Al-Yasin adds that his documentation of the issue confirms that there are over 10 thousand security card holders in the city and countryside of Hama without all of them working alongside the regime. They carry the security cards to protect themselves from the regime according to leaked information which al-Yasin obtained from within the regime security branches.
Mohamad, a young man from the city of Hama says that the cards and the privileges designated to the card holders from carrying a weapon, driving a black car or a car without number plates is one of the factors for the increase in the number of kidnappings and thefts that are happening under the supervision of the security forces themselves.
The young man added that some of his friends who held cards from the Popular Committees were called to fight on the fronts in the countryside of Homs and the countryside of Latakia despite the agreement between them and the card holder that dictates that the card holder will not be called to the fronts, and here emerges another form of blackmail as card holders are then excused from fighting on the fronts in exchange for 200 thousand SP. (Translation by Rana Abdul)
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